Pregnancy and rheumatic diseases
In the past, it was undesirable for women with systemic autoimmune diseases to get pregnant, but nowadays with good medical attention most of them can have successful pregnancy but usually not easy, as the doctor must be ready to deal with complications for both mother and baby.
Women with autoimmune diseases should know that diseases may affect the childbearing are more likely to affect pregnancy outcome than others so they must pay attention.
Pregnancy and its effects on rheumatic diseases
Throughout the pregnancy time, some effects of inflammation occur when the rheumatic diseases are activated, and in this case medication can be harmful to the mother and the baby, but usually the effects of pregnancy upon rheumatic diseases usually change, Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and APS.
• RA changes during pregnancy as the symptoms usually improves in pregnant women, and need less medication, but the problem is that the disease may flare up after delivering the baby.
• There is a debate about the relation between SLE activity and pregnancy, in general is a tendency for mild to moderate flares, especially during the second half of pregnancy and during the period after delivery, but usually these flares are not dangerous on mother nor on baby's health, but a recent or current disease flare, and when stopping hydroxychloroquine, the chances of a flare during pregnancy period usually increase.
• Increase in the risk of clots in veins and arteries (in Antiphospholipid syndrome "APS") also obstetric complications such as miscarriage, prematurity or hypertension (high blood pressure) during pregnancy, and if the pregnant woman have a kidney disease there will be a risk of pre-eclampsia. Pre-eclampsia and eclampsia are conditions that may damage the mother's kidneys and liver and also increase the risk of prematurity or death of the fetus, so the woman who have APS needs special care especially in the time of delivery as it can be a dangerous time for her.
Effects of rheumatic diseases on pregnancy
Medications which are suppose to be taken during pregnancy to treat rheumatic disease, are dangerous upon both mother and baby and can cause serious problems that may affect the kidney, especially lupus and APS.
If the mother have or have had kidney disease due to vasculitis, scleroderma or, more frequently, SLE, have a higher risk of severe high blood pressure and pre-eclampsia. But usually if blood pressure and kidney functions were normal before pregnancy it's likely that you can have a good healthy baby.
